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architecture and design magazineTue, 31 Mar 2015 18:04:48 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1Park Hill Phase 1 by Hawkins\Brown and Studio Egret Westhttp://www.dezeen.com/2013/07/22/park-hill-phase-1-by-hawkinsbrown-and-studio-egret-west/
http://www.dezeen.com/2013/07/22/park-hill-phase-1-by-hawkinsbrown-and-studio-egret-west/#commentsMon, 22 Jul 2013 11:58:53 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=337355The overhaul of the brutalist Park Hill housing estate in Sheffield, England, is another of the six projects nominated for the 2013 Stirling Prize (+ slideshow). Architects Hawkins\Brown and urban designers Studio Egret West were commissioned by property developer Urban Splash to take on the renovation of the notorious social housing estate, which is one of […]

Architects Hawkins\Brown and urban designers Studio Egret West were commissioned by property developer Urban Splash to take on the renovation of the notorious social housing estate, which is one of the most famous examples of the "streets in the sky" typology that typified many post-war UK developments in the 1960s and 70s.

Influenced by projects such as Le Corbusier's Unité d'Habitation, architects at that time thought large housing blocks with communal open-air walkways would foster communities, but they instead became associated with antisocial behaviour, vandalism and crime.

In spite of its problems, the complex was Grade II* listed in 1998 for its architectural significance, as well as for its role as part of the city's identity. This prompted Urban Splash to embark on a redevelopment to create a mix of social housing and private apartments, alongside offices, shops, restaurants and bars.

The design team began by stripping the building back to its gridded concrete framework. They then added a new facade made of simple glazing and brightly coloured panels.

Photograph by Peter Bennett

By reducing the width of the "streets", the architects were able to extend the size of the apartments, creating new street-facing windows and much-needed additional storage.

Photograph by Peter Bennett

Giving residents a sense of ownership was an important part of the project, so patterned floor tiles and stained plywood details were added around the entrances to each home to provide a more domestic appearance. These details also vary between different clusters of homes, helping residents to orientate themselves.

Photograph by Peter Bennett

Landscape architecture studio Grant Associates also worked on the project, designing gardens, courtyards and a large public square.

Photograph by Peter Bennett

The first phase of 78 apartments is now complete and the first residents began moving in during January. Phase two is currently underway.

Working in collaboration with our client, Urban Splash, and design team members Studio Egret West and Grant Associates, we are bringing love, life and pride back to the Sheffield icon to make it a genuinely vibrant and sustainable community for the 21st century.

The first phase of 78 apartments has been completed and has been given a thorough face-lift and remodelled to 21st Century standards. The existing concrete frame has been repaired and a new façade installed and the iconic 'Streets In The Sky' have new balustrading. As well as saving an icon, figures compiled show that refurbishing the scheme has prevented 4 football stadia of material being taken to landfill and that the embodied energy in the concrete frame is equivalent to 3 weeks energy output from a power station.

At the lower levels of the building, the essential ingredients of a proper community will be combined with a new 'high street' of local shops, bars, pubs and restaurants.

]]>http://www.dezeen.com/2013/07/22/park-hill-phase-1-by-hawkinsbrown-and-studio-egret-west/feed/8Coast Path Staircase at Royal William Yard by Gillespie Yunnie Architectshttp://www.dezeen.com/2013/07/12/coast-path-staircase-at-royal-william-yard-by-gillespie-yunnie-architects/
http://www.dezeen.com/2013/07/12/coast-path-staircase-at-royal-william-yard-by-gillespie-yunnie-architects/#commentsFri, 12 Jul 2013 21:42:04 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=334991Coastal walkers in south-west England can now detour through a historic naval supply yard thanks to this dramatic staircase that cuts through formerly impregnable walls (+ slideshow). Designed by Gillespie Yunnie Architects, the cantilevered stairs link Royal William Yard in Plymouth to the public park above, allowing ramblers on the South West Coast path to enter […]

Coastal walkers in south-west England can now detour through a historic naval supply yard thanks to this dramatic staircase that cuts through formerly impregnable walls (+ slideshow).

Designed by Gillespie Yunnie Architects, the cantilevered stairs link Royal William Yard in Plymouth to the public park above, allowing ramblers on the South West Coast path to enter walk through the 19th Century yard for the first time.

The stairs are part of the regeneration of the yard by developer Urban Splash, which is converting the complex of Grade I-listed warehouses that once held supplies of beer, rum and ship's biscuits into apartments, offices, shops and restaurants.

At night the stairs are illuminated by colour-shifting ribbons of LED lights.

The stair links the defensive western end of the Royal William Yard to the South West Coast path above the site. The Royal William Yard was designed by Sir John Renny to supply the entire Royal navy Fleet with beer, rum, ships biscuits and cured meat. Built between 1826 and 1831 it was used continually by the Navy until the 1990s when it closed and has since been subject to one of the largest regeneration programmes in the South West. Gillespie Yunnie Architects have been working with developers Urban Splash since 2005 on the Grade I Listed site, which now houses a mixture of apartments, offices, shops and restaurants.

The Royal William Yard has always been a dead end due to its naturally defensive nature and peninsular location, so the staircase linking the far end of the Yard with the open green space of the peninsula above has always been a key part of the regeneration masterplan, to allow residents to access the park and historic battlements at the top of the high retaining wall, and allow walker to continue along the Coast Path route via a dramatic piece of architecture.

As a practice we are all very aware of how stunning our local coastline is, we all sail, surf and regularly walk the coast path. To be involved in linking two amazing and contrasting waterfront locations with a piece of bold contemporary design was always going to be right up our street. We designed the stair to emulate some of the excitement and surprise of journeying along the South West Coast path.

The journey is very different depending on which way you approach the stair; From the Yard, the stair is a dark solid mass, snug against the historic retaining wall, and the journey, hidden by the high solid sides, is only apparent as you begin to climb the stair, with the concealed glass viewing platform and panoramic views over the Tamar Estuary across to Cornwall being concealed until the last minute; from the park above, you first have to find the entrance, housed within a sunken ruin of an old military store. A steel ‘portal’ is cut through the huge wall marking the start of the journey, and your first view opens up before you, as you descend down the cantilevered upper flight. At night it changes again, using concealed LED ribbon lights beneath the handrail to wash the entire inner surfaces with an ever changing river of colour, a bit of fun, and brightness in the otherwise dark, hard context of the old military site, and reminiscent of seaside promenades across the country.

Dezeen Wire:new pictures reveal the interiors of two show apartments at Park Hill in Sheffield, England, a notorious 1960's housing estate which is being overhauled by developers Urban Splash - BBC News

]]>http://www.dezeen.com/2011/09/02/new-park-hill-flats-in-sheffield-unveiled-bbc-news/feed/0Chips by Alsop Architectshttp://www.dezeen.com/2009/06/02/chips-by-alsop-architects/
http://www.dezeen.com/2009/06/02/chips-by-alsop-architects/#commentsMon, 01 Jun 2009 23:04:30 +0000http://www.dezeen.com/2009/06/02/chips-by-alsop-architects/British architect Will Alsop of Alsop Architects has completed a residential building called Chips in Manchester. The eight-storey building, for developer Urban Splash, was conceived as "three fat chips stacked on top of each other." Each "chip" is covered in text referring to the area's history. The building forms part of Alsop's urban plan for […]

British architect Will Alsop of Alsop Architects has completed a residential building called Chips in Manchester.

The eight-storey building, for developer Urban Splash, was conceived as "three fat chips stacked on top of each other."

Each "chip" is covered in text referring to the area's history.

The building forms part of Alsop's urban plan for the New Islington area of Manchester and contains 142 one, two and three bedroom apartments.

Above photographs by Christian Richters.

Here's some more information from Urban Splash:

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WILL ALSOP’S ‘CHIPS’ BUILDING COMPLETES IN NEW ISLINGTON, MANCHESTER

THREE FAT CHIPS STACKED ON TOP OF EACH OTHER.
A RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT LIKE NO OTHER.

Quirky, bold and robust, ‘Chips’ forms the first major development for the Alsop-designed masterplan for New Islington in Manchester. New Islington, Manchester’s Millennium Community, is situated between the Ashton and Rochdale canals on the Northern edge of Manchester City Centre. Launched in 2002, Alsop’s Strategic Framework for New Islington, lays out an exceptional place, modeled around new canal arms and an inspiring landscape.

Commissioned by Urban Splash in 2002, Chips presents the first new apartments for sale in New Islington was designed by Will Alsop whose building was inspired by three fat chips piled on top of one another. The ‘Chips’ building comprises three equal-height, long, thin new build masses (Chips) approximately 100m long by 14m wide stacked and staggered upon one another creating an elevated ground floor and eight levels comprising 142 one, two and three bedroom apartments. The building is clad in a composite wall faced with a cladding covered in newspaper print with text that echoes the industrial heritage of the Ancoats area.

The design provides a mix of living and studio units and commercial space within a single project. The project defines a quality of living by combining outstanding design with technological innovation while embracing key concepts of sustainability, integration into the urban landscape and the provision of inspirational and sensational apartment units. The building’s apartment types range from studio spaces to three bed apartments. There is also a variety of differing external balconies. The apartments are planned internally around a central ‘pod’ unit, housing the bathroom and kitchen areas. The apartments can be open plan or sub-divided by the use of large folding screens. It marks another significant milestone for New Islington, which will become even more of a community once the residents of Chips move into their apartments in 2009.

]]>http://www.dezeen.com/2009/06/02/chips-by-alsop-architects/feed/29Tribeca by Alison Brooks Architectshttp://www.dezeen.com/2008/07/16/tribeca-by-alison-brooks-architects/
http://www.dezeen.com/2008/07/16/tribeca-by-alison-brooks-architects/#commentsWed, 16 Jul 2008 12:34:15 +0000http://www.dezeen.com/2008/07/16/tribeca-by-alison-brooks-architects/Alison Brooks Architects have designed three buildings for the Tribeca development on Great George Street in Liverpool, UK. The project, for developer Urban Splash, will incorporate 93 apartments, with commercial space on the ground floor. The new buildings will cluster around an existing bridal shop, housed in a gothic-style building on the site. The buildings […]

Alison Brooks Architects have designed three buildings for the Tribeca development on Great George Street in Liverpool, UK.

The project, for developer Urban Splash, will incorporate 93 apartments, with commercial space on the ground floor. The new buildings will cluster around an existing bridal shop, housed in a gothic-style building on the site.

Tribeca: Alison Brooks Architects' Scheme at Great George Street in Liverpool for Developer Urban Splash.

Alison Brooks Architects have designed three buildings for the 'Tribeca' development in Liverpool, which will act as a 'beacon' at the prominent corner of Great George Street and St James Street. The buildings will be a combination of 93 apartments and colonnaded commercial space at street level.

Urban Splash revealed earlier this year that its development will be called Tribeca. It will be the largest residential scheme in the city to date with over 700 new homes being created. The site forms three distinct triangles, so Urban Splash put the phrase together 'Triangles Beneath Cathedral' to create Tri-be-ca, Tribeca. It echoes its famous New York counterpart which was named because the area was made up of a series of triangular sites which sat beneath Canal Street.

ABA's scheme has been conceived as a contemporary addition to the sandstone architecture of Liverpool, a 21st century gothic. The team were inspired by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott's nearby Anglican Cathedral, consecrated in 1924, and the city's monumental stone civic buildings. Their architecture expresses solidity and permanence qualities which ABA feel are essential for new urban neighbourhoods.

The faceted forms of ABA's three buildings and their elongated fenestration is intended to relate to both the Gothic articulation of the Wedding Shop on the site, as well as the dramatic verticality of the nearby Cathedral. The stone-clad facades stretch up toward the sky, gradually becoming lighter and more glazed as they increase in height. Within the windows are vertical strips of coloured glass reminiscent of the beautiful stained glass windows that enliven the sandstone interior of St George's.

ABA's approach counters the conventional response to tall building design. These are usually built of lightweight glazed systems, giving them a fragile, commercial quality.

As Alison Brooks comments, “We wanted to re-interpret the Neo-Gothic Victorian architecture in this area of Liverpool and take it a step further, to design tall buildings that express a dynamic, vertical rhythm with their fenestration and their geometry, but are built with a heavy, traditional material like stone.”

ABA were very interested in creating a new urban neighbourhood with the scale, density and architectural quality that put it on a par with the great boulevards of continental cities. The aim is to extend the centre of the city towards the south so that the area becomes a gateway into Liverpool, and a destination in itself.

Tribeca will take approximately 8 years to build and work will start on the site in spring 2008.